Pub stereotypes.

The one I don't understand is the man who stands at the bar with his pint.
He just stares into the air ,not talking to anyone.
Just a man and a pint. Is he there hoping someone will talk to him, is he there hoping someone won't talk to him?
I can do a pint and the papers on my own but to just stand there ,can anyone explain?

Oh, I quite like having a book or a paper in a pub. But then I am tinged with unsociability. I don't get the man on his own with a pint and nothing to read though - however, he's not as bad as blokes standing at the bar drinking. Why do people do that? Get yer drink and move away, you're adding to my waiting to be served time, and I no likey.

One of life's simplest pleasures is sitting having a couple of quiet pints, on your own, with the papers. Bliss

And I agree with Pondo. Why do certain groups of people congregate at the bar, when there's loads of chairs and tables free, just getting in everyone's way? They generally tend to be the pub bores, who regard it as some kind of pulpit for them to air their (normally repellant) opinions

i worked in a rural pub where a sub-set of the regulars were farmers or manual workers. Some genuinely didn't want to talk to anyone, you'd get a hello (grunt) when they arrived and when they left but more often than not they didn't utter another word all night.

I know that a couple were widowers and didn't know how to fill their time outside of working anymore due to loneliness. You could get a conversation going sometimes if the pub was quiet
Another guy didn't know how to read so wouldn't have been able to sit with a paper anyway.
Sometimes though a friend of theirs would turn up and they'd be happy and animated all night.

It depends on the bloke really. Ask the bar staff what the fella is like as they'll know. If he's mental they'll warn you off saying hello!

Its a rare pleasure to sit in a pub with a pint, reading or simply watch the world go by.
I love to do that on occasion. I find it very soothing indeed. Preferably on a cold winter's eve.
Dont know why but it is truely a pleasure.

There's a guy in a pub we frequent,...every Wednesday he comes in with a load of chocolate bars to sell,....he's also the one who was an expert on lights and he came out to take a look, and was quoting cree's, wattage and all sorts and reckoned he could get us them cheap,....when he went back inside to get a torch to show us that he'd given the landlord, the landlord was outside and advised us we'd be stuck with him all night,..so we all did a runner!!

One feature of our local is the couple who are in there constantly, propping up the bar, yet seem to loath each other, and communicate entirely through snide remarks and abuse. We refer to them as John and Mary, from Father Ted